National and International support group for grandparents denied contact with their grandchildren.
Patron Dame Esther Rantzen

Welcome.

Hi everyone and welcome to Bristol Grandparents Support Group blog. Although we are Bristol based we have grandparents from all over the UK and beyond as members.

It is estimated that over one million children in the UK are denied contact with their grandparents due to family breakdown which may have been caused by divorce/separation, alcohol/drug dependency,domestic violence,bereavement or family feud.

Every child has the right to have contact with their grandparents

if they wish and unless proven unsafe for them to do so. To deny contact from a parent or grandparent has to become as socially unacceptable as drink driving.

I hope to keep you up to date with what is going on in BGSG and I shall continue to campaign for the rights of children to have a loving and meaningful relationship with both parents and their extended family. So please join in as good to hear your views, not just mine!

I also will support via Skype.

There is no membership fee to be part of Bristol Grandparents Support Group.

Esther Rantzen says, " To every grandparent, links of love can never be broken in our hearts."

Friday, 31 December 2010

So at the end of 2010, time to once again thank everyone for their support.

I am never sure that looking back is a good thing, as in any year you have good times and bad,happy days and sad ones.

I have certainly done things this year that I never thought I would, experiences that have come from something so tragic , not being able to see my granddaughter, the people I have met have been wonderful and my life is richer for knowing them.

And so to 2011, I will continue to raise public awareness on behalf of the million children in the UK who are denied contact with grandparents.

I will support non-resident parents with gaining contact with their children.

The children must have their right to access both parents and all extended family , recognised.

As we begin to countdown to Christmas and those who are going to be with their families, remember the children who will not be seeing both their parents,due to conflict, or their grandparents,uncles,aunts or cousins.

The reality is that over one million children who are denied access to their families, over one million children unhappy,sad confused and isolated.

Saturday, 18 December 2010

As grandparents denied contact due to family breakdown, our wish is only to be part of our grandchildren's lives, but have we thought further than that?

I have always said that this is not about grandparents rights it is about grandchildren's rights, I don't apologise for repeating that, what effect does being parted from both parents and grandparents have on over one million children?

Children who have not had any contact with members of their family for, in many cases ,over a period of 4/6 years are effected so badly, children who we remember as little people with the rest of their lives in front of them, full of excitement and promise only to have that dashed by adults who can't agree to put differences behind them for the sake of the children.

The children are used as weapons they have no say in the matter.

Children who plead with their parent they are living with, to be able to see their other parent and grandparents, are told that their family don't want anything to do with them and that they don't love them anymore.

So when they reach an age when they can make their own decisions, so much damage has been done, children who are so angry have problems at school and in some cases, find themselves excluded and are unable to interact socially with others as they don't trust anyone anymore.

How can we allow this to happen to our young people?

Those of us who are still waiting for that knock on the door, need to be aware that there is a long journey to take place, building up trust with sensitivity and patience.

And the 'Every Child Matters' agenda, I don't think so, we have over a million children who are and have been so unhappy some have contemplated ending their lives, and they have been let down by adults.

Sunday, 12 December 2010

I have just opened the door to 2 little girls and their mum, who wanted to put messages on the tree.

This is the 3rd year they have called, I don't know them, except as my 'Christmas cheer', they have just been to the local church to the children's Christingle service and they bought me my own Christingle.

How fab people can be and their kindness means such a lot.

Also local paper have rung and are coming in to take a photo this evening.

As we all approach Christmas it is a time for reflection for many of us. As the song says 'What have you done today to make you feel proud?'

That can be quite an uncomfortable question,if I am honest, how many times do I do things for me,not actually for others? Mmm.

It has been a busy year, laughter,tears and support.

The Bristol Grandparents Support Group has continued to grow, I have mixed feelings about that because it shows how many grandchildren and grandparents are going through such sadness and at a loss to know what to do. The unexpected occurrence is that I have made some very strong and true friendships for which I am very grateful.

I have been able to be a part of several grandchildren being reunited with their grandparents, and that is the goal.

So as I move forward towards another New Year I hope to be able to support grandparents in anyway I can and to rejoice in families who reconnect.

Do I feel proud of what I have done today? Do I need to feel proud? I am not sure. What about you?

All children and young people up to the age of 18 years have all the rights in the Convention. Some groups of children and young people - for example those living away from home, and young disabled people - have additional rights to make sure they are treated fairly and their needs are met.

The UK ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) on 16 December 1991. That means the UK government now has to make sure that every child has all the rights outlined in the treaty except in those areas where the government has entered a specific reservation.

A convention is an agreement between countries to obey the same law. When the government of a country ratifies a convention, that means it agrees to obey the rules set out in that convention.

What the treaty means

From 15 January 1992, when the treaty came into force, every child in the UK has been entitled to over 40 specific rights. These include:

•the right to life, survival and development

•the right to have their views respected, and to have their best interests considered at all times

•the right to a name and nationality, freedom of expression, and access to information concerning them

•the right to live in a family environment or alternative care, and to have contact with both parents wherever possible

•health and welfare rights, including rights for disabled children, the right to health and health care, and social security

•the right to education, leisure, culture and the arts

•special protection for refugee children, children in the juvenile justice system, children deprived of their liberty and children suffering economic, sexual or other forms of exploitation

The rights included in the convention apply to all children and young people, with no exceptions.

For more detailed information on the treaty and the rights included in it, and to find out the reservations entered by each country, click on the link below.

Aled Jones on Radio 2 read out a piece I wrote about our Tree of Hope.

3rd Dec last meeting of 2010.

There are so many people to thank for their wonderful support over the last year, without them I would not be able to carry on. So thank you to all my family,all the grandparents and friends.

Things are moving forward, but we need to keep the pressure on.

There are still OVER ONE MILLION children in the UK denied contact with their grandparents, and we must keep working for them, every child has the right to contact with non-resident parents and grandparents.

The most important thing of all is that 6 grandparents in The Bristol Grandparents Support group have regained contact with their grandchildren. Thats what this is all about.